In October 2017, Montreal (right) attends the European Parliament with "former leader" Filippo. Soon the two also announced their "breakup". (Image source: AFP data map)
In recent years, the political landscape of Europe has gradually changed, and many far-right anti-immigrant parties have participated in the formation of government cabinets, which seems to strengthen the determination of France's far-right national coalition (RN), the former National Front, to become the ruling party. But a new book by the party's former senior official, Sophie Montel, "Bal tragique au Front National," describes another picture: The National Coalition is very amateurish, full of opportunists, content with the current position and income of the opposition, with no idea they will one day become in power.
Montreal, now a member of the European Parliament, served as party chairman of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté regional council before withdrawing from the National Front in 2017. She ran away with Florian Philippot, the former number two figure in the National Front, to form the New Party "Patriots", but soon she also turned against Filippo, accusing him of only "pasting and copying" bn in the book.
The 300-page book contains a very detailed account of the party's daily life, including details and anecdotes, such as quarrels between party members at meetings or intimate relationships between private members. By writing the book, she hopes to let the public know that the National Front is a campaign machine, extremely hypocritical in itself, and that its members simply do not consider the main force of their own constituents, the "silent majority" or "forgotten France."
Montel, who has been with the National Front for three decades, said she herself was bewildered by the political apparitions that Le Pen brought when marine Le Pen became party leader in 2011. In the book, she calls Le Pen authoritarian, brutal, and arbitrary, while lacking political authority and stability.
Montreux's former colleagues and superiors reacted strongly, such as Le Pen saying that Montle had done so in particular, while Filippo said the book reflected the author's hatred.
(Editor: Xia Ying)